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2022/2023

Economics, Territory and Sustainability

Code: 104233 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2503710 Geography, Environmental Management and Spatial Planning FB 1 1

Contact

Name:
Joan Carles Llurdes Coit
Email:
joancarles.llurdes@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Other comments on languages

The teaching language is Catalan, part of the material displayed in the classroom is in Spanish and the student can choose the language (in the classroom and in the assessment exercises)

Prerequisites

It is a 1st year subject, therefore no special prerequisite is required. It is recommended to be a little informed of national and international news, especially the economic, political, socia and ecological news. 
In other words, read from time to time the general press, watch some TV shows, listen to some radio gatherings, social networks (i. e. Twitter), etc.

Objectives and Contextualisation

Context:
										
											
										
											In order to integrate knowledge of economics in relation to Geography, this subject has to be understood as another instrument for the interpretation of the territory, even if it does not seem so at first. 
That is why we try to maintain certain "bridges" with other subjects of the Degree Plan, such as: "Geographical views of the world" (1st year), "Society, territory and environment in Catalonia" (2nd year), 
"Urban Policies: Housing, Neighbourhoods and Transport" (3th year) or " Geography of inequalities "," Local and territorial development " and "Cities, globalization and sustainability "(4th year). 
The subject is aimed at introducing the basic conceptual foundations related to the economic dimension of globalization (you can see the more specific contents in the section "Contents").

The objectives are:
  1. To ensure that the student has a general vision of the chronological evolution of the main schools of thought, hand in hand with the ideas of their main authors, and their implications in the current economic policy.
  2. To ensure that the student to acquire the economic terminology and some of the most used macroeconomic and microeconomic indicators to understand the economic news.
  3. To ensure that the student has the ability to gather and interpret information of various types and backgrounds to be able to make judgments and reflections on relevant social, economic, ethical and ecological issues.
  4. To ensure that the the student can discuss in a critical spirit the relationship of society with the territory applying the conceptual and theoretical framework of Geography, in general, and of the economy in particular.
  5. To ensure that the student is able to integrate knowledge from various social and environmental disciplines in order to be able to describe and interpret the spatial dynamics linked to social, economic and environmental changes.
  6. To ensure that the student can identify the main and secondary ideas and express them correctly, formally and linguistically.

Competences

  • Critically analyse the relationship between society and the region applying the conceptual and theoretical framework of geography.
  • Demonstrate skills of self-analysis and self-criticism
  • Integrate the different social and environmental disciplines with a view to describing and interpreting the spatial dynamics linked to social, economic and environmental change.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Compare the different trends in the study of economics
  2. Demonstrate skills of self-analysis and self-criticism.
  3. Differentiate the main regional and local economic systems and their historical and contemporary situation.
  4. Identify the purpose of studying economics
  5. Relate the main economic agents with the main political or institutional agents in the process of regional planning.
  6. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.

Content

Contents:

This subject is an introduction to the basic concepts of economic analysis and to some of the implications of the economy, both territorially and from the point of view of sustainability. 
More specifically, and after a first introductory block that focuses on the most immediate economic news and reflected by different media (basically social networks, digital press and some media), 
the program of the subject is divided into a series of blocks whose content is structured around a few key and related concepts.
  • Block 1. An introduction -> What is the most talked about? Who speaks more and from what ideological position? What does "popular wisdom" or social networks tell us?
  • Block 2. Object of the economy -> What is it? Economy and ethics. Schools of economic thought. Current economic ideology.
  • Block 3. Economic system and functioning of the market -> Economic agents. Market economy and its operation. Alternative models
  • Block 4. Rent -> Economic cycles. Distribution of income and inequalities. Public sector and monetary policies. Economy and COVID-19.
  • Block 5. Economy and territory -> Spaces of production and global consumption.
  • Block 6. The sustainability of the current economic model -> Growth and sustainable development. Economy of the common good, collaborative economy (or speculative?). The gender perspective in the economy. Externalities and ecological footprint.
Some of the key concepts that have to structure the contents of the subject are: money, market, competition, public debt, inflation, unemployment, social democracy, Gini coefficient, communism, energy poverty, vulnerability, globalization, happiness,well-being, gentrification, resort, slow philosophy, economy of the common good, sostenibility, decrease, etc.

In the Moodle will publish a schedule that will indicate the dates of explanation of each block as well as the dates of delivery and completion of the different exercises that are part of the evaluation.

The language of the Moodle and of explanation in the classroom will be Catalan, this does not exclude that students can express themselves in Catalan or Spanish in the classroom and write their exercises in one or another language.

Finally, it will be necessary to ensure the use of non-sexist language, both by the teacher and the students, both in interventions in the classroom and in evaluation exercises.

Methodology

The formative activities of this subject are the following:
  1. In the first place, through the directed activities, that is to say, the development of the agenda foreseen in face-to-face sessions included in the teaching calendar for the 1st semester.
  2. Second, with supervised activities through the monitoring of news and debates on economic news, at different scales. Likewise, there is a specific Twitter account of the subject that functions as a "repository" of diverse material that serves to introduce the explanation of the syllabus in each of the teaching sessions (https://twitter.com/Eco_Geo_UAB). 
  3. Third, with autonomous activities, that is, everything that the student would have to do to prepare the subject. This includes the consultation of diverse material (eg. articles or other documents) available in the Moodle of the subject, as well as specialized bibliography, both the most general and the one that is punctually cited. It must be said that in this subject there are no Notes of Economics, strictu sensu, that can be published in the Moodle, but as will be seen throughout the semester the teaching will be done through presentations Prezi and brief "information pills" as a conclusion and summary of what is explained. In a complementary way you can consult other manuals available in the market; there are many and some one are excellent.
  4. In fourth place, with evaluation activities (which are specified in another section).
  5. Finally, the teacher will allocate approximately 15' of some class to allow their students to answer the surveys of evaluation of the teaching performance and evaluation of the subject.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Explanation of subject topics 45 1.8 1, 3, 4, 6, 5
Type: Supervised      
Study work and individually tutored practices 30 1.2 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5
Type: Autonomous      
Monitoring of the economic news 15 0.6 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5
Performing evaluation tasks 43.25 1.73 1, 3, 4, 6, 5
Study for the exam 15 0.6 6, 5

Assessment

The evaluation will be done continuously and the knowledge will be evaluated following the following criteria:
  1. Three reports with a weight of 10% each (total 30%). The exercises will be individual and they must be done outside the established teaching hours the teaching schedule; the reports will be deposited in the Moodle within approximately three weeks from its publication. Once the deadline is over, they can no longer be delivered (that is, exercises will not be accepted at the end of the course).
  2. An oral presentation, individual or in couple of which more details will be given once the course has begun. As oral presentations will be a few will be made from mid-October and until the end of the teaching period (see academic calendar of the Faculty). The weight will be 10%. ATTENTION:if any event occurs that could seriously alter the normal development of the teaching calendar and make it unfeasible, it will be replaced by an exercise (with the same weight as the presentation, 10%).
  3. An exam whose weight is 50%. The test will have a duration of 1:30h and will be done just before the end of the period of activities directed according to the academic calendar of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters. The exam can be done in the classroom or through the Moodle.
  4. Attendance at face-to-face teaching sessions and active participation will be equivalent to the remaining 10%. It is not mandatory but certain actions have also been planned to encourage it. Remember that this subject is FACE-TO-FACE.
  5. The final grade will be the sum of all these partial grades.
On the other hand, we must take into accountthe following aspects:
  1. For each evaluative activity, the procedureand date of revision of the notes will be informed. As a general rule, it is usually one week after the note is published. After this period, there will be no possibility of revision.
  2. The absent exercises and / or exam will count as 0 (zero).
  3. Reports: of the 3 planned reports a minimum of 2 must be submitted, the other one that is not done will count as 0 in the final grade (therefore, if they are not done, they do not add up). The student must be aware of how far he wants to go
  4. Oral presentation: this presentation may not be made but like undelivered reports, it will count as 0 in the final grade (so if it is not done, it does not add up). In this case, it will not be possible to replace it with a report unless, due to the circumstances indicated above, this part of the assessment must be replaced for the whole group.
  5. The exam is MANDATORY.
  6. The student will have the grade of "Not Assessed"/"Not submitted” course grade unless they have submitted a minimum of 2 of the 5 evaluation activities.
Requirements to be evaluated:
  1. To obtain in the exam the minimum score equivalent to half of themaximum expected score.
  2. In the event that the above is not met, the student will not be able to compensate this grade with the sum of the remaining partial grades and must report for re-evaluation.

Re-evaluation process:

The evaluation process must always consider re-evaluation systems. However, it must be taken into account that:
  1. In order to participate in the re-evaluation the student must have been previously evaluated in a set of activities whose weight equals a minimum of 2/3 of the total score.
  2. In order to participate in the re-evaluation the student must have obtained a minimum grade in the average of the subject of 3.5 (out of a maximum of 10 points).
  3. The oral presentation is left out of the recovery process (or is done when it is played or not done) and the attendance too. The reports do not "recover" because they are not "F" either (they have a grade that is added to the rest of the partial grades to set the final grade). However, and by mutual agreement with the teacher, one can opt for the improvement of one exercise if there is the possibility of improving the final grade (eg moving from "C" to "B", of "B" to "A" ...).
  4. The date of the re-evaluation will be decided within the period of the academic calendar of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
  5. In this subject there is no possibility of a final exam (or similar test) as the only way to pass the subject.
Finally:
  1. In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place.
  2. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Attendance 10 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5
Exam 50% 1.5 0.06 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5
Oral presentation 10 0.25 0.01 2, 6
Reports (3) 30% (10% each) 0 0 2, 6, 5

Bibliography

This subject does not include any mandatory bibliography. In any case, some references are recommended as a guide:

  • ALBARRACÍN, Jesús (1991). La economía de mercado, Madrid, ed. Trolta.
  • BAÑOS, Antoni (2012). Post economia. Hacia un capitalismo feudal, Barcelona, ed. Libros del Lince.
  • BERMEJO, Roberto (1994). Manual para una economía ecológica, Madrid, ed. Los Libros de la Catarata.
  • CARRASCO, Cristina (2016). Sostenibilidad de la vida y ceguera patriarcal. Una reflexión necesaria, ATLÁNTICAS – Revista Internacional de Estudios Feministas, 2016, 1, 1, 34-57.
  • CASALS, Muriel i SOLSONA, Montse (2008). La immigració, un motor econòmic. Reflexions entorn de l’impacte de la població estrangera en l’economia catalana, ed. Caixa de Sabadell-Fundació Jaume Bofill.
  • COWEN, Tyler (2008). Descobreix l’economista que portes dins. Consells pràctics per fer-te la vida més fàcil, Barcelona, ed. Columna.
  • D’ALISA, Giacomo; Federico DEMARIA i Giorgos KALLIS (Editors) (2015). Decrecimiento. Vocabulario para una nueva era. Barcelona, ed. Icària.
  • De SEBASTIÁN, Luís (2007). Antologia breu de termes econòmics, Barcelona, ed. Cristianisme i Justícia.
  • EKAIZER, Ernesto (2012). Indecentes. Crónica de un atraco perfecto, Barcelona, ed. Espasa.
  • ESTEFANÍA, Joaquín (2003). La cara oculta de la prosperidad, Madrid, ed. Taurus.
  • ESTIVILL, Jordi i MIRÓ, Ivan (2020). L'economia social i solidària a Catalunya: fonaments teòrics i reptes estratègics, Barcelona, Icaria Editorial.
  • ETXEZARRETA, Mirem (2021). La mochila austriaca. Qué supone el modelo de pensiones e indemnizaciones de la derecha europea, Barcelona, Icaria Editorial.
  • FEDERICI, Silvia (2018). El patriarcado del salario. Críticas feministas al marxismo, Madrid, Traficantes de sueños. (https://traficantes.net/sites/default/files/pdfs/TDS_map49_federici_web_0.pdf).
  • FELBER, Christian (2014). L’economia del bé comú, Barcelona, Miret Editorial.
  • FLORES, María Victoria (2016). "La globalización como fenómeno político, económico y social", Orbis - RevistaCientífica Electrónica de Ciencias Humanas, vol. 34, pp. 26-41 (https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/709/70946593002.pdf).
  • GALBRAITH, John. Kenneth i Nicole SALINGER (1980). Introducción a la economía, una guía para todoso casi, Barcelona, ed. Crítica.
  • HEILBRONER, Robert L. i Lester C. THUROW (1982). Introducció a l'Economia, Barcelona, ed. Empúries.
  • HERNÁNDEZ, Vicente (2010). La gallina de los huevos de oro ... puedes ser tu. Aprende a ahorrar, a invertir y a multiplicar tu dinero, Barcelona, ed. Gestión 2000.
  • HONORÉ, Carl (2019). Bolder. Making the most of longer lives, London, ed. Simon & Schuster.
  • KALLIS, Giorgios (2018). Degrowth. The Economy: key Ideas, Newcastle upon Tyne, ed. Agenda Publishing.
  • KALLIS, Giorgios, et al. (2021). A favor del decrecimiento, Vilassar de Mar, Icaria Editorial.
  • KRUGMAN, Paul; Robin WELLS i Kathryn GRADDY (2013). Fonaments d’economia, Barcelona, ed. Reverte.
  • LATOUCHE, Serge (2014). Límite, Buenos Aires, ed. Adriana Hidalgo.
  • MANKIW, Nicholas Gregory (2002). Principios de Economía, ed.Mc Graw Hill.
  • MARÇAL, Katrine (2016). ¿Quién le hacía la cena a Adam Smith? Una historia de las mujeres y la economía, Madrid, Editorial Debate.
  • MARTINEZ ALIER, Joan iJordi ROCA. (2001), Economía ecológica y política ambiental, México, ed. Fondo de Cultura Económica.
  • MOLTÓ, Tomás (2001). Materiales de economia política, Madrid, ed. Ariel.
  • NIÑO-BECERRA, Santiago (2019). El crash. Tercera fase, Barcelona, Roca Editorial.
  • OLIVERES, Arcadi (2005). Contra la fam i la guerra, Barcelona, ed. Angle Editorial.
  • PARNREITER, Christof (2018). Geografía económica. Una introducción contemporánea, México, ed. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. (https://fiona.uni-hamburg.de/e2bfe5e6/parnreiter-2018-geografiaeconomica.pdf) 
  • PASTOR, Alfredo (2007). La ciencia humilde. Economía para ciudadanos, Barcelona, ed. Crítica.
  • PÉREZ OROZCO, Amaia (2014). Subversión feminista de la economía. Aportes para un debate sobre el conflicto capital-vida, Madrid, ed. Traficantes de Sueños.
  • PIKETTY, Thomas (2014). Elcapital al segle XXI, Barcelona, ed. RBA.
  • RUÍZ, Clemente (2015). Crisis y rediseño del capitalismo en el siglo xxi, Universidad Autónoma de Baja california (México), ed. Miguel Àngel Porrúa.
  • SALA i MARTIN, Xavier (2002). Economia liberal per a no economistes i no liberals, Barcelona, ed. Pòrtic.
  • SAMUELSON, Paul Anthony (1973). Curso deEconomia Moderna, Madrid, ed. Aguilar.
  • SOLANA, Antonio Miguel (coord.) (2016): Espacios globales y lugares próximos. Setenta conceptos para entender la organización territorial del capitalismo global, Barcelona, Icaria.
  • STIGLITZ, Joseph E. (1995). Economía, Madrid, ed. Ariel Economía.
  • TORRES, Juan (2000). Economía política, Madrid, ed. Pirámide.

Software

None specific, it is assumed that students already have a certain mastery in the most commonly used office tools and programs (in this case, a word processor and a presentation program).